Instincts and names

I am currently revisiting the names of my characters. Some of these folks just have their own mind and do not want to be who I thought they were and, as their true colors come through, they need better names.

Daughter and I debated her feeling that she would rather discover who these people are than have a name hint at it. This debate was never resolved, with both of us seeing both sides to the issue, and me being of a mind that my eleven year old reader may well not even know what the name "means" the first time they read it anyway.

I have also tended to use names by the fact that I have never met a "Butch" who wasn't rather a bully. The first Butch I knew, beat my brother up every other day. He was around twelve at the time and my brother was under nine. So, think bully, I think Butch. This site Bad Baby Names put a new definition for "Butch" in the mix. One I had not thought of.

Then, there was AOL's article Does Your Name Spell Success? - Careers Articles. A real quick simplification of it is that if your name starts with an A or a B, you sit to the front of the class and your grades live up to your initials. Those whose names start with D and F however, tend to get those grades. There is a lot more to it, so you might want to read it, but it is something to think about. Also, read the numerous comments underneath that totally disprove their theory.

My last name put me at the end of the row of students and often at the back of the room; which was not real successful with my poor eyesight. I got eyeglasses and A's. So, I think our lesson here is to read the available information and take it all with a grain of salt. If it works for your character, it is right. If you change his/her name five times, try out the first name you thought of for the character. It may have been the right one all along. Trust your instincts.

Life goes on and so does editing

As much as I would like to hibernate in a room and just write, life keeps on moving around me and requiring my attention. So, this week, I took the dog to the vet for some unexpected surgery and then was up all night with her, was at the ER till 1:00am with my EMT boy the next day (he keeps passing out), and the next day I took my mom to the ER for her Congestive Heart Failure. It's like a central Indiana ER tour, without sleep.

My body is still trying to recharge, so I spent the day surfing, the internet, not the waves. There are not a lot of waves in Indiana, and I found an interesting blog at BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency: How Long to Query.

BookEnds, and I hope they will forgive me for quoting, but BookEnds states: "Hands down one of the biggest mistakes I see authors making is spending all their time and energy revising, rewriting and reworking that first book. I know from experience that over time you can do more damage than good with all of that revising."

This is something I have wondered about as far as the book I am writing. I am actually working on my third book, none published though, so I tend to worry about everything a bit. But, I found one way to resolve that issue.

Never, ever, ever throw out or delete anything. I have printed this book out twice in full and I have CD backups for over three years now. I back up a minimum of once a month, and I do a flashdrive backup every night. And, I will say, that any time I thought to myself that I was not improving the book, I have been able to go back and so far the improvements have been improvements. That said, I will add that for my picture book, I still favor my original version and am very glad I kept a copy of it.

I did, however, reach a point with this book where I felt I had gone as far as I could and that is when I called in my Super-Hero .....Master's Daughter, to the rescue. Originally, it was for grammar and punctuation but it turned into so much more.

Master's Daughter is a sixth grade teacher, a writer, a worker with electron microscopes and now for her summer will be working with an Atomic Force Microscope. Her heros are Einstein and Yoda. She is bright and funny, knows today's kids, and we work so well together.

My book has been a family project: inspired by grandsons/sons, ideas from them and husband and now a massive tweaking with daughter. Her ideas have really added that touch I was searching for. And, no matter how much I wanted to get it out to agents and editors by June, the extra months will be worth it.

So, the lesson is, always keep backups at every step and try to stay out of the ER.

Characters, names, stupidity and Cultural Diversity

I’m going along just fine. Going over the end of the book for an edit and then along comes Master’s Daughter with a question. Well, a comment really. She’s my eyes and ears on the youth and little things that just seem to go right over my head, like a character with the name of Dama Gazelle.

Okay, it’s a fantasy, just accept the name. But, Master’s Daughter points out to me that the children are going to be calling her, “Damn a Gazelle.” Gee, duh, I never thought of that. Therein leads to days, the last three at least, of going over the names I have.

And, as long as I am doing that, I have some cultural diversity but not as much as I would like. One thing leads to another and, I have to admit, it just makes the book that much better. Of course, at this rate, I may be seventy by the time I am done.

Too busy writing to blog? Yeah, Right!

Unlike The Swivet [Colleen Lindsay]: "I don't know what we're doing for May, but I hope it involves Nerf weapons." I am not procrastinating on writing my book, nor am I looking forward to a Nerf war.

I am working eight or more hours a day on my book. I am now three chapters ahead of Master’s Daughter, who is helping me with the final line edit. What is my projected date for sending it out now; perhaps June? I hope!

I should add that I am working eight or more hours a day, given days when no one is ill, including me. The flues this year have been a real drag, and my mother is still battling one. So, when I take her groceries today, I am sure I will find myself bringing home some pesky germs to again spread the flu to our home.

What else am I doing? Well, it certainly is not blogging here, as you can all--all two of you--attest to. I do blog a bit more on my WordPress account: http://savanvleck.wordpress.com. Other than that:
1. I cooked Easter Dinner.
2. I am still weight lifting and doing aerobics.
3. I have cared for Irritating Little Chihuaha for several days; both before and after surgery.
4. I just bought groceries and will be baking cookies, to send to Army Guy grandson and his buddies.
5. I actually did work on the web site for several days but it was because I have some interest in my paintings from a friend in California.
6. I also have worked a small bit on my website for writing.
7. I watched Two and a Half Men last night and two episodes of Monk yesterday.
8. Watched son, JRock perform as a nasty prison guard and a Bobby/Policeman in a production of “Oliver” at the high school.

And, that is my life and why I am just tooooo busy to post here. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I do not want to tell too much about my book and I have no other interesting life and nothing to say. Honest!

Wednesday with the Aspiring Writer's Journal

I have been extremely busy trying to figure out to get the visitor from -- well maybe an escapee from somewhere, out of my house. You finally have to lock the dog safely in her pen, hide the jewelry and say, "Hey, you gotta go home. Preferably, your own home." Actually, her mother's home would work. But, I don't care, as long as it is not my home.

She was supposed to be around a lot but by the fourth day I realized that a lot had turned into not leaving and she was living with us. It is now day fifteen and she's on her way out. New house rule, NO ONE STAYS OVERNIGHT.

Okay, got that out of my system, and so I promised myself to open The Aspiring Writer's Journal, Susie Morgenstern, Book - Barnes & Noble and pick the first page I opened. I actually took the second page: April 22nd. "How would you define "clean"? The directions state: "Spend your day giving your room a good spring cleaning." Gheeesh!!

Forget that. It's spring. Why would I want to stay inside all day and clean? That's for fall, when it is getting cold outside, and you know you will be spending more time in the house for winter.

I first time I read it, for some reason, I thought it said, "Define your idea of clean." I like that one better.

Clean is the way the air smells when a breeze blows in the window of my not so clean house.

Clean is how my work surface should look inbetween projects.

Clean is how it feels to have a hot shower after you have spent the day canoeing and getting dumped. (In water, not necessarily by a boyfriend, but I bet that would feel clean too.)

Clean is how it feels to have a cool shower after standing on hot asphalt, under the August sun all day at a city street art fair.

Clean is snuggling a freshly bathed baby.

Have a clean day!

Two days of research equals a page this time.

Sorry, yet again, for the long absence, but the book has to take precedence over the blog at this point. It is one of those things you can taste; the joy of when you are actually ready to send your book out into the world, to survive on its own

Master’s Daughter is really busy right now, so I think she may have a plot to slow me down. She keeps finding neat things I need to do with the book.

As a sixth grade teacher, who is writing a teacher’s companion for my book, she has been a great source of inspiration. This time, it was all about the phases of the moon. I did not really think about children having a problem with this concept. Apparently, younger children seem to view the phases of the moon as if the moon could change its shape.

The world in my book is greatly influenced by nature. They do not live in little square wooden boxes, as we tend to do and so they must learn to live and survive in nature. This means they need to understand the natural world and so I have again spent two days researching a way to say something in one page. That amount of research generally results in one sentence. Good thing I love research.

So, now I shall pay Master’s Daughter back and shoot my new page off to her for more corrections. This is a discussion of the phases of the moon. I am afraid it might be too long or unclear, but she will let me know.